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Statements

Evangelical Leaders support Judge Neil Gorsuch for Supreme Court appointment

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February 1, 2017

As evangelical leaders, there are core social principles at the center of our view of human flourishing. Among the most relevant to the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction are the protection of the unborn, the strengthening of religious liberty, and a dedication to human flourishing — which we believe can only be accomplished by a biblical definition of marriage and family.

Given these priorities and the call to seek our nation’s welfare, we believe that the judicial philosophy of Neil Gorsuch meets these vital thresholds. One of the highest priorities in the United States is the appointment of a Supreme Court justice who upholds the Constitution’s first freedoms. By all indication, Judge Gorsuch interprets the Constitution in accordance with America’s tradition of limited government.

Given his credentials, and considering the overwhelming support Judge Gorsuch received upon his appointment to the Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in 2006 by the United States Senate, the 115th Senate should work diligently to confirm his appointment without obstruction.

A president’s nomination to the Supreme Court is one of his most important legacies. As evangelical leaders, we support President Trump’s nomination and pray for a quick confirmation process.

*Please note that the title and institution listed for each signatory is used for identification purposes only and does not necessarily constitute an official endorsement by the institution.

Russell Moore
President
Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission

Daniel Akin
President
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

Jason K. Allen
President
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Hunter Baker
University Fellow
Union University

Foley Beach
Archbishop
Anglican Church in North America

Alistair Begg
Senior Minister
Parkside Church

Phillip Bethancourt
Executive Vice President
Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission

John Bradosky
Bishop
The North American Lutheran Church

Denny Burk
President
The Council on Biblical Manhood & Womanhood

D.A. Carson
President
The Gospel Coalition

H.B. Charles
Pastor
Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church

Michael Cromartie
Vice President
Ethics and Public Policy Center

Daniel Darling
Vice President of Communications
Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission

David Dockery
President
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

Erick Erickson
Editor
The Resurgent

William A. Estrada, Esq.
Director of Federal Relations
Home School Legal Defense Association

Ronnie Floyd
Senior Pastor, Immediate Past President
Cross Church, Southern Baptist Convention

Steve Gaines
Pastor, Current President
Bellevue Baptist Church, Southern Baptist Convention

Timothy George
Dean
Beeson Divinity School

Tim Goeglein
Vice President for External Relations
Focus on the Family

Jack Graham
Senior Pastor, Former President
Prestonwood Baptist Church, Southern Baptist Convention

J.D. Greear
Senior Pastor
The Summit Church

O.S. Hawkins
President/CEO
GuideStone Financial Resources

D.A. Horton
Pastor
Reach Fellowship

Johnny Hunt
Senior Pastor, Former President
First Baptist Church, Southern Baptist Convention

Jeff Iorg
President
Gateway Seminary

Richard Land
President
Southern Evangelical Seminary

Greg Laurie
Pastor
Harvest Christian Fellowship

Matt Lockett
Executive Director
Bound4LIFE International

Jo Anne Lyon
Ambassador, General Superintendent Emerita
The Wesleyan Church

Gregg Matte
Senior Pastor
Houston’s First Baptist Church

R. Albert Mohler, Jr.
President
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

David Nammo
Executive Director & CEO
Christian Legal Society

Tommy Nelson
Senior Pastor
Denton Bible Church

Peggy Nienaber
Vice President of Operations
Faith and Action

Samuel “Dub” Oliver
President
Union University

Ray Ortlund
Pastor
Immanuel Church

Frank Page
President/CEO
Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention

Paige Patterson
President
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Matthew Pinson
President
Welch College

Karen Swallow Prior
Professor of English
Liberty University

Thom Rainer
President/CEO
LifeWay Christian Resources

Samuel Rodriguez
President
National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference,
Hispanic Evangelical Association

Mike Rouse
President
American Association of Christian Schools

Jimmy Scroggins
Lead Pastor
Family Church

Timothy Shah
Director for International Research
Religious Freedom Research Project

John Stonestreet
President
The Colson Center for Christian Worldview

Justin Taylor
Author, Editor, Blogger
The Gospel Coalition

Mark Tooley
President
Institute on Religion and Democracy

A.B. Vines
Pastor
New Seasons Church

Andrew T. Walker
Director of Policy Studies
Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission

Roland Warren
President/CEO
Care Net

Thomas White
President
Cedarville University

David Whitlock
President
Oklahoma Baptist University

Frank R. Wolf
Former United States Congressman

George Wood
General Superintendent
Assemblies of God

Bryant Wright
Senior Pastor, Former President
Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, Southern Baptist Convention

Travis Wussow
Vice President for Public Policy & General Counsel
Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission

Afshin Ziafat
Lead Pastor
Providence Church

Article 12: The Future of AI

We affirm that AI will continue to be developed in ways that we cannot currently imagine or understand, including AI that will far surpass many human abilities. God alone has the power to create life, and no future advancements in AI will usurp Him as the Creator of life. The church has a unique role in proclaiming human dignity for all and calling for the humane use of AI in all aspects of society.

We deny that AI will make us more or less human, or that AI will ever obtain a coequal level of worth, dignity, or value to image-bearers. Future advancements in AI will not ultimately fulfill our longings for a perfect world. While we are not able to comprehend or know the future, we do not fear what is to come because we know that God is omniscient and that nothing we create will be able to thwart His redemptive plan for creation or to supplant humanity as His image-bearers.

Genesis 1; Isaiah 42:8; Romans 1:20-21; 5:2; Ephesians 1:4-6; 2 Timothy 1:7-9; Revelation 5:9-10

Article 11: Public Policy

We affirm that the fundamental purposes of government are to protect human beings from harm, punish those who do evil, uphold civil liberties, and to commend those who do good. The public has a role in shaping and crafting policies concerning the use of AI in society, and these decisions should not be left to those who develop these technologies or to governments to set norms.

We deny that AI should be used by governments, corporations, or any entity to infringe upon God-given human rights. AI, even in a highly advanced state, should never be delegated the governing authority that has been granted by an all-sovereign God to human beings alone. 

Romans 13:1-7; Acts 10:35; 1 Peter 2:13-14

Article 10: War

We affirm that the use of AI in warfare should be governed by love of neighbor and the principles of just war. The use of AI may mitigate the loss of human life, provide greater protection of non-combatants, and inform better policymaking. Any lethal action conducted or substantially enabled by AI must employ 5 human oversight or review. All defense-related AI applications, such as underlying data and decision-making processes, must be subject to continual review by legitimate authorities. When these systems are deployed, human agents bear full moral responsibility for any actions taken by the system.

We deny that human agency or moral culpability in war can be delegated to AI. No nation or group has the right to use AI to carry out genocide, terrorism, torture, or other war crimes.

Genesis 4:10; Isaiah 1:16-17; Psalm 37:28; Matthew 5:44; 22:37-39; Romans 13:4

Article 9: Security

We affirm that AI has legitimate applications in policing, intelligence, surveillance, investigation, and other uses supporting the government’s responsibility to respect human rights, to protect and preserve human life, and to pursue justice in a flourishing society.

We deny that AI should be employed for safety and security applications in ways that seek to dehumanize, depersonalize, or harm our fellow human beings. We condemn the use of AI to suppress free expression or other basic human rights granted by God to all human beings.

Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-14

Article 8: Data & Privacy

We affirm that privacy and personal property are intertwined individual rights and choices that should not be violated by governments, corporations, nation-states, and other groups, even in the pursuit of the common good. While God knows all things, it is neither wise nor obligatory to have every detail of one’s life open to society.

We deny the manipulative and coercive uses of data and AI in ways that are inconsistent with the love of God and love of neighbor. Data collection practices should conform to ethical guidelines that uphold the dignity of all people. We further deny that consent, even informed consent, although requisite, is the only necessary ethical standard for the collection, manipulation, or exploitation of personal data—individually or in the aggregate. AI should not be employed in ways that distort truth through the use of generative applications. Data should not be mishandled, misused, or abused for sinful purposes to reinforce bias, strengthen the powerful, or demean the weak.

Exodus 20:15, Psalm 147:5; Isaiah 40:13-14; Matthew 10:16 Galatians 6:2; Hebrews 4:12-13; 1 John 1:7 

Article 7: Work

We affirm that work is part of God’s plan for human beings participating in the cultivation and stewardship of creation. The divine pattern is one of labor and rest in healthy proportion to each other. Our view of work should not be confined to commercial activity; it must also include the many ways that human beings serve each other through their efforts. AI can be used in ways that aid our work or allow us to make fuller use of our gifts. The church has a Spirit-empowered responsibility to help care for those who lose jobs and to encourage individuals, communities, employers, and governments to find ways to invest in the development of human beings and continue making vocational contributions to our lives together.

We deny that human worth and dignity is reducible to an individual’s economic contributions to society alone. Humanity should not use AI and other technological innovations as a reason to move toward lives of pure leisure even if greater social wealth creates such possibilities.

Genesis 1:27; 2:5; 2:15; Isaiah 65:21-24; Romans 12:6-8; Ephesians 4:11-16

Article 6: Sexuality

We affirm the goodness of God’s design for human sexuality which prescribes the sexual union to be an exclusive relationship between a man and a woman in the lifelong covenant of marriage.

We deny that the pursuit of sexual pleasure is a justification for the development or use of AI, and we condemn the objectification of humans that results from employing AI for sexual purposes. AI should not intrude upon or substitute for the biblical expression of sexuality between a husband and wife according to God’s design for human marriage.

Genesis 1:26-29; 2:18-25; Matthew 5:27-30; 1 Thess 4:3-4

Article 5: Bias

We affirm that, as a tool created by humans, AI will be inherently subject to bias and that these biases must be accounted for, minimized, or removed through continual human oversight and discretion. AI should be designed and used in such ways that treat all human beings as having equal worth and dignity. AI should be utilized as a tool to identify and eliminate bias inherent in human decision-making.

We deny that AI should be designed or used in ways that violate the fundamental principle of human dignity for all people. Neither should AI be used in ways that reinforce or further any ideology or agenda, seeking to subjugate human autonomy under the power of the state.

Micah 6:8; John 13:34; Galatians 3:28-29; 5:13-14; Philippians 2:3-4; Romans 12:10

Article 4: Medicine

We affirm that AI-related advances in medical technologies are expressions of God’s common grace through and for people created in His image and that these advances will increase our capacity to provide enhanced medical diagnostics and therapeutic interventions as we seek to care for all people. These advances should be guided by basic principles of medical ethics, including beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice, which are all consistent with the biblical principle of loving our neighbor.

We deny that death and disease—effects of the Fall—can ultimately be eradicated apart from Jesus Christ. Utilitarian applications regarding healthcare distribution should not override the dignity of human life. Fur- 3 thermore, we reject the materialist and consequentialist worldview that understands medical applications of AI as a means of improving, changing, or completing human beings.

Matthew 5:45; John 11:25-26; 1 Corinthians 15:55-57; Galatians 6:2; Philippians 2:4

Article 3: Relationship of AI & Humanity

We affirm the use of AI to inform and aid human reasoning and moral decision-making because it is a tool that excels at processing data and making determinations, which often mimics or exceeds human ability. While AI excels in data-based computation, technology is incapable of possessing the capacity for moral agency or responsibility.

We deny that humans can or should cede our moral accountability or responsibilities to any form of AI that will ever be created. Only humanity will be judged by God on the basis of our actions and that of the tools we create. While technology can be created with a moral use in view, it is not a moral agent. Humans alone bear the responsibility for moral decision making.

Romans 2:6-8; Galatians 5:19-21; 2 Peter 1:5-8; 1 John 2:1

Article 2: AI as Technology

We affirm that the development of AI is a demonstration of the unique creative abilities of human beings. When AI is employed in accordance with God’s moral will, it is an example of man’s obedience to the divine command to steward creation and to honor Him. We believe in innovation for the glory of God, the sake of human flourishing, and the love of neighbor. While we acknowledge the reality of the Fall and its consequences on human nature and human innovation, technology can be used in society to uphold human dignity. As a part of our God-given creative nature, human beings should develop and harness technology in ways that lead to greater flourishing and the alleviation of human suffering.

We deny that the use of AI is morally neutral. It is not worthy of man’s hope, worship, or love. Since the Lord Jesus alone can atone for sin and reconcile humanity to its Creator, technology such as AI cannot fulfill humanity’s ultimate needs. We further deny the goodness and benefit of any application of AI that devalues or degrades the dignity and worth of another human being. 

Genesis 2:25; Exodus 20:3; 31:1-11; Proverbs 16:4; Matthew 22:37-40; Romans 3:23

Article 1: Image of God

We affirm that God created each human being in His image with intrinsic and equal worth, dignity, and moral agency, distinct from all creation, and that humanity’s creativity is intended to reflect God’s creative pattern.

We deny that any part of creation, including any form of technology, should ever be used to usurp or subvert the dominion and stewardship which has been entrusted solely to humanity by God; nor should technology be assigned a level of human identity, worth, dignity, or moral agency.

Genesis 1:26-28; 5:1-2; Isaiah 43:6-7; Jeremiah 1:5; John 13:34; Colossians 1:16; 3:10; Ephesians 4:24